I just finished The Pursuit of Victory, a scholarly biography of Horatio Nelson, Admiral of the British Navy at the turn of the 18th century. By "scholarly" I mean that almost one-third of the book are footnotes and appendices, and just about every sentence is referenced (which I ignored while reading, since if you don't have the source at hand, why bother?).

Nelson won the four greatest sea-battles of his time, defeating the French, Spanish, Dutch, Danes, Russians, and their assorted allies: the battles of St. Vincent, The Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar, where he was killed by French musket fire. He died in 1805. He was adored by the people, loved and honored by his crews, and disliked (sometimes despised) by his peers and superiors, until they actually had a chance to work directly with him. 

He was self-promoting, vain, sickly (he contracted malaria as a young lieutenant which plagued him all his life), he lost his arm and an eye in two different defeats, and he was generally vilified for his long affair with Emma Hamilton, the wife of a long-time friend. King George III hated him, and took every opportunity to snub him, yet Nelson was primarily responsible for keeping Napoleon bottled up at sea, despite being outmanned and outgunned. 

I'm not suggesting that you read the book unless this sort of history interests you, but there are some important things I took away:

• Nelson was a successful leader because he treated his sailors and officers with respect and discipline. He was obsessive about training, and drilled his crews to fire two shots for the enemy's one, more than making up for the enemy's superior numbers
• He maximized the resources at his disposal.
• He planned his tactics in consultation with his officers, and once the plan was agreed upon, they practiced the plan.
• He delegated authority to his captains, but maintained control.
• His plans were gamechanging and surprised the enemy. Rather than wasting time in maneuvers, he took the battle directly to them, cutting through their line of battle and engaging yardarm to yardarm.
• His courage was legendary; he led by example, and his was often the first ship to engage and board an enemy.
• He rewarded where appropriate, and censured when necessary.

He also failed in many ways:

• During peacetimes (there were several), he was a fish out of water. He was a terrible politician, often alienating friends and allies. 
• He was easily swayed by flattery, pomp and circumstance, and adorned himself with medals, ribbons, and sometimes ridiculous jewelry, which he displayed as much to irritate his peers as to boost his ego.
• He was arrogant enough to believe that whatever he did was righteous, and often ignored external factors that directly caused defeat or embarassment for the Crown. When he lost, it was always someone else's fault, or out of his control.
  
• He was compulsive about money. He once declined a peerage because he could not support the requisite lifestyle. He was never rich, nor lucky with money. This dogged him like the malaria.
• He never felt that the ruling parties or the Crown gave him enough credit for his accomplishments, and he was right; much of this was due to his vanity, and his habit of jumping over the chain of command with his demands.

He was absolutely the right man for most of the job, and absolutely the wrong man for the other parts. At sea, he was indomitable, on land he was inadequate. Politics and managing alliances were part of his job description; these required diplomacy and discretion, not Nelson's strong suits. Yet when the chips were down, he was the one called upon to plan and execute success, and he did. Nevertheless, I wonder how his performance review would have read? 

What Nelson really needed was an experienced politician in his retinue who could pilot him through the civilian components of his work. He could have used a chief of staff with talents in communications, project management, building consensus, and managing resources not directly under his jurisdiction. Nelson needed someone to remind him when he was over his head, and when to keep his mouth shut.

So, as I look at opportunity in this market, I will want to ask the questions: what will be required of me from both my strengths and shortcomings; will I have to provide leadership in the embassy as well as from the quarterdeck? Will I have the flexibility and authority to build a strong team with complementary skills and competencies? Will I get the help I need to work through difficult, unfamiliar situations? Will I be given the resources and training to "never mind maneuvers, go right at 'em"? Finally, will I receive adequate rewards and recognition for my efforts?

I am my own worst enemy, because I am answerable only to myself. Each day I have a plan, either written or in my head, and each day I fail to accomplish what I set out to do.  There is always something more important that crops up. 

I know from personal experience in managing teams that 40% to 60% of my day will be unplanned, putting out fires with staff, projects, risk management, politics, major crises. To keep this in perspective, I subscribe to the "jumping monkey" theory of work, i.e., monkeys will jump to me from someone else's shoulder: jumping upward from a direct report, sideways from a partner, downward from a boss. I also jump my own monkeys to others, up, down, and sideways. The idea is to make sure the monkey keeps moving, ends up on the right shoulder, and gets fed or disappears. I'm pretty good at keeping those suckers moving, although occasionally I'll glance backward and there sits one I thought had jumped, grinning at my naivete. Sometimes they bite.

But in the no-job travelogue, there are no staff, associates, or executives, just me. I am all three. So, there should be fewer monkeys, right? Not so. My monkeys are all of my own making; most come from fear and uncertainty. They jump from one shoulder to another, and more keep showing up every day, so that it seems there is a troop of Kipling's howlers driving me to the ruins, chanting  We are great. We are free. We are wonderful. We are the most wonderful people in all the jungle! We all say so, and so it must be true.

I'll find any excuse not to deal with them: I need a haircut, have to pick up something at the store, must finish that next chapter in the book I'm reading, and I'll get to those monkeys later. Except that later means more of them. 

So here is what I have to do: I have to go after the biggest, meanest monkey I have, and get rid of it, while keeping the others at bay. Then, I'll go after the next biggest one, and so on, until the population is manageable and I'm moving forward again in my own direction. That's my plan.

I'll start tomorrow.

There are few things more important when chefing than careful prep, whether your buyers are one thousand college students, the Governor and his education staff, Tony and Carmelo Soprano, or your co-workers at a Christmas party. I've done them all (except for Tony and his "family", although I did work a short stint at an Italian place on the Black Horse Pike in South Jersey, so I came close), and learned that you had better be ready for anything. In one instance one of new my cooks, Igga, was responsible for cooking the dinner vegetables at the cafeteria. I figured he knew enough to cook four pans of brocccoli, then stage each batch as an empty pan came back from the line. I was on the slicer on the other side of the kitchen, doing the same for top round portions, when I happened to check on his progress. Much to my surprise, he was stretched out on the lower table shelf, sound asleep. Fifteen pans of broccoli sat in the food warmers, quickly turning to mush. He over-prepped. He also shortly found new employment.

Another time I was part of a team producing a ten course hot-cold dinner for a celebrity speaker and a crowd of alumni muckety-mucks. Managers from different locations were brought in to keep things running smoothly. We had bought a case of heavy cream quarts (in thick glass bottles with crimped paper lids, the good stuff) to be whipped just in time for the dessert course. This was assigned to a manager from another location, who dumped the cream into a large floor mixer, added a touch of vanilla, a dash of sugar, and turned the mixer on high. Then he disappeared. Apparently he was pretty well snockered by the time his job came around, and he was off having another wee bit. When the chef came for the whipped cream, he had fifteen pounds of butter staring up at him. The chef motioned for me to follow him into the cooler, where he revealed another case of cream that he had ordered just in case. Dessert was slightly delayed, but the strawberries romanoff were a success.

I guess the point is that when the interview comes, it pays to be ready, but not pat. I've interviewed candidates who wanted things done on their own agenda (like Igga), and candidates who went on and on about the same things, even though the interview had moved on (like the whipped cream). I've also had the pleasure of hiring candidates who had a plan and adjusted on the fly, because they prepared and rehearsed any situation. It's a dialogue, folks. Pretend you're talking to your mother, but make sure you know what you want to say, and when. Do your prep work. Your credibility is at stake. 

Now here's what I call a perfect interview. Watch and learn.

According to the New York Times, the nation lost 524,000 jobs in December, capping off a year in which 2.6 million workers were put on the street, for a current unemployment rate of 7.2%. Conversely, that means a 92.7% employment rate, right? Not too bad...

Not really. I think we would all be surprised at the true employment rate (does anyone know where to find this statistic?). The iceberg of unemployment should calculate those who have not filed for benefits, those who are not eligible for benefits, those whose benefits have expired, and those who have given up on the whole thing and are trying to earn piecemeal in the shadow cash economy.

This all makes me begin to feel as though I am part of an organism which is metastasizing while the medical team is looking for a silver bullet. 

I'm not sure that those who are still on the job feel any different. They see their employers in the process of selling themselves, snapping up deals, or filing for bankruptcy, and those rumors are deadly for production and efficiency. 

So how do we get beyond the negativity and find our way back into the 92.8%?

First, get back to basics. Here is my favorite: there are only two jobs in any company: you are either in Sales, or you support Sales. Decide in which half your talent lies, and create the right angle for your story.

Second, follow a Sales process in building your plan. Here are the components of the Sales process:

Pre-approach: research and target who you want to sell to, and just as importantly, who is in a position to buy.

Approach: Use available contact methodologies to reach the buyer: mail, email, telephone, headhunter, social networking, physical networking to get the interview.

Fact/feeling finding: this starts by leveraging the information uncovered in the pre-approach, and building on that with specifics from a job description. If there is no specific job description (which should include a summary, essential job functions, marginal job functions, required qualifications, required skills and competencies, preferred skills, equipment used, training available, and specific location), be wary- that employer hasn't thought it through. Note that "feeling" is just as critical as "fact". The company feelings will become particularly apparent in a behavior-based interview process, and you can also find this out by communicating with current and past employees, if possible. Line up your features and benefits directly to their needs and feelings. Read between the lines during the interview, and be prepared with a series of probing questions of your own (which cannot be answered with a "yes" or a "no"). In fact, why not turn the tables and ask a few behavior-based questions of your own--"Tell me about a time when your market research played a critical part in a competitive assessment. How did you do your research? What did you discover? How did you use that information to better position your product/service? What was the impact on sales and revenue?" 

Close: You are the solution to the company's needs. Their investment in you will provide a return that exceeds their company ROI. How do you find out what the company ROI is? If the company is publicly traded, this is a matter of record. If the company is private, estimate based on your research of public companies in the same general business. How do you calculate your personal ROI? Take the total compensation from your previous job and divide into the revenue or value you claim on your resume: whether you were in Sales or supporting Sales, you must lay a claim to some specific contribution for the work you did. Know your number.

Ask for referred leads: If you land the job, become an inside referral source for your network; if you do not land, ask the prospective employer if he/she is aware of any other opportunities inside or outside the company. Ask them if they will become part of your network, possibly through a LinkedIn or Facebook connection. Note: referred leads bring you back full circle to pre-approach.

As I look at the market, the climate, and prospects, I plan take to heart the motto of General "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, U.S Army: "Illegitimati non carborundum".

Yesterday the travelogue roadies packed up plastic storage boxes of Christmas and other holiday accoutrement for the next show (will it be here, in the same place?) and the venue returned to normal. One event during the take-down stands out, though---the last thing to go was the tree, which had been painstakenly selected by the roadie team in the space of five minutes at our favorite tree place, which, we were sadly informed, has played their last waltz and will sell out to the local military-industrial complex in 2009. It was really the home-made wine samples which attracted us to them in the first place, so we'll compromise and bring our own to a different chopper-lopper next year.

As the head roadie and me carried the tree to the curb, we were startled by a ceramic clunk-crash, as an overlooked ornament hit the concrete driveway. This was particularly disconcerting to me, as I had assumably combed the tree and completely removed the eclectic selection of balls, figurines, santas, reindeer, kitchen utensils, fish, angels, animals, boats, superheroes, barbie dolls, sports figures (Muhammed Ali and Joe Namath), and knick-knacks before trashing. 

The unfortunate victim was a Hummel, one of several kindly sent to us annually by our Miami aunt. As I picked up the pieces, I was struck by the implication: I had failed in my attention to detail in clearing the tree. I had not done it right the first time.

No excuses, I just rushed the process so I could get the job done faster. Had I been working for me, I (manager) would have been alerted to subsequently review each and every activity of me (employee) to prevent a future drop, not a very productive or empowering management technique. Although I do believe in the 80-20 rule, (if something is 80% ready to go, and you know the remaining 20% will not materially impact rollout and will be completed within a reasonable amount of time, then go ahead and roll out), it's only valid AS LONG AS YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED THE 20%! Last minute surprises require too much high maintenance and micro-management, and losing trust in associates is not good for the leader or the team. 

After careful review of the broken figurine, I realized I could save it with that essential gunk of households and golf bags (use it to seal split fingertips), superglue. It was a well-built solid piece of ceramic, not hollow. Hummel quality. So, I repaired it good as new, wrapped it in paper, and stored it away with its compadres. Had it been shattered in a thousand pieces, I would have rued it and chucked it. Lesson learned: some mistakes can be fixed, and they are easier to fix if they are built with a solid infrastructure, and you have the right expertise and glue to make it work.

So here are two more New Year's resolutions for me: sweat the details when I am responsible for them, and fix what I have broken. 

By the way, I went over the tree again as it sat on the curb. Nothing but branches and needles as I did a final check on my work before the trash truck came. Do it before it's too late.

Last night I watched the Cavs come from behind to beat a determined Miami Heat team. Aside from being a homer, I can't help but admire the team that Mike Brown coaches. With well-placed newbies like Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Ben Wallace, Brown has molded the top defense in the league, and taken the heat off LeBron James on the offensive end.  They are beautiful to watch on and off the court. 

And, they invoke the admirable traits of great organizations: consultative leadership, unselfish distribution of opportunities, highly skilled workers, and a focus that great defense leads to game-winning offense. 

Great leaders don't have to be great players. Mike Brown broke into the NBA as a videotape reviewer, and learned the game from within without once dribbling the ball on the clock. He delegates appropriate decisions to his leadership team,  and he applauds their successes, while taking the heat himself for all mistakes. He coaches, he doesn't "tyell".

The team itself plays like a superstar, although arguably the best player in the NBA is their leader, and could, if he wanted, focus on himself and his own personal goals. But he doesn't. That comes from the top, and James knows that his legacy will be defined by team success, not individual accomplishments. Know any sales teams out there that could improve under that formula? 

Interesting that the Cavs are owned by Dan Gilbert, founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans, a leader in direct to consumer home financing that did not go under or need a bailout to continue operating in this harsh environment. Consider that Dan himself conducts orientation for new employees, focusing on his "ISMs" for success. Here are some examples: "Obsessed with finding a better way"; "You'll see it when you believe it"; "Numbers and money follow, they do not lead"; "We eat our own dog food"...and many others. The leader sets the tone.

Probably the most underrated contributor to the Cavs is Ben Wallace. He can't shoot, can't dribble, you hold your breath whenever he gets the ball, and an opponent's best stop is the "whack-a-Ben" defense, which puts a 40% foul-shooter on the line. But the man can play defense, alter plays with tenacious top-of-the-key doubleteams, fall back to the paint, and flap one of those long wings to apply a facial to the best drivers in the league. He has very specific skills that will not fit into every organization, but his contribution is maximized by how he is used in the Cavs' defensive schemes. You need defensive players on your team, in the right places, to keep the competition honest.

Speaking of defense, how much business is walking out your back door while you bring it in the front? We all know that acquisition pays the big bucks, but it's important to keep the clients you have, and so retention and relationship expansion are probably more critical to year-over-year profitability than new business. The mantra for any business is twofold: more business from existing customers, and more customers. So, while you hire the best salespeople you can, don't neglect the best service and support players as well. They might not get paid as much as the rainmakers, but they embody the essence of the maxim that "sales is service, and service is sales".

Apply this to your job search. Pick your prospects, and research the leadership, offense, defense, how they play. Use LinkedIn to contact current and (especially) former employees. Consider the leadership. How do they respond under pressure? Who takes the credit for success, the bullet for failure? Do they do the right thing? Do they play as a team or as individuals, and do you fit into that infrastructure? Can you see yourself taking pride in their success? 

Go Cavs!

'Tis the season for sales, although it appears from media reports that sales are down...as determined by purely financial measures. But who needs reports, you can feel it in your bones. 

Here's the rub: Sales success is not about money, it's about emotions. Money is fiat, the means of exchange, irredeemable currency (I'd like fifty dollars worth of full faith in the Federal Reserve and the guarantee of the US government, please..oh, you mean it's only a promise?).

Again, sales is emotions. Specifically, three emotions: fear, love, and logic.

Fear: wouldn't it be terrible if...? Love: wouldn't it be great if...? Logic: isn't it smart to...?

These are the drivers of any purchase, whether it be an IPod (wouldn't it be terrible if all of Johnny's friends had one and he felt left out?), furniture (wouldn't it be great to have a matching living room suite?), a house (isn't it smart to build equity in a long-term investment?). Anything. 

Is it fair to assume that since "sales" are down, emotions are the drivers? That emotions are actually the fundamental essence of the economy? That what is missing in the current economic equation are the fear, love, and logic factors?

Well, let's keep it at the individual level for now.

As we look toward the New Year and the selling of ourselves, remember, in that interview, that the buyer will be motivated by one or all of these emotions, in varying degrees. Our job is to ensure that we invoke the emotional reactions we need to land the position: Wouldn't it be terrible if your business plan fell short because you needed the value I bring?...Wouldn't it be great if you rounded out your team with a proven contributor, and brought greater recognition to your department?...Isn't it smart lay the foundation for competitive growth with people who know how to drive revenue?

I know my own post-Christmas sale will focus on these concepts.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!